DILLINGER FANOfficer Christopher Lo reported he was dispatched to the Warwick Mall on Nov. 11 for “a report of a drunk in progress” at Macy’s. Dispatch advised Lo that an intoxicated man was attempting to steal from the store. Lo said he arrived to find the suspect seated at the curb and loudly warning mall security, saying, “I rob banks,” and “I’ve been arrested for armed robbery; don’t [expletive] with me.” Lo said a loss prevention employee filled him in about the incident: The agent said he was called when someone noticed the man clumsily attempting to steal items at the fragrance counter. He said the suspect gave up on one bottle he was trying to take out of a plastic case with no success and then picked up another complete set and concealed it under his jacket and walked to the other end of the counter. He was startled by a clerk and quickly put the bottle back. He said another clerk spoke with him briefly before he took a tester bottle and hid it in his pocket. He was heading out the door when the clerk stopped him. The clerk took the tester back but allowed the apparent drunk to leave the store. They said he then walked out the door and set off an alarm. Security said they followed the man out into the parking lot and saw him peeking into and trying to get in a car. That didn’t work and he tried a Caravan before he was grabbed by security and seated at the curb to await police. Lo said a loss prevention agent for the store identified the watch that set off the alarm. Lo said Joseph J. Venditto, 45, of 25 Pontiac Ave. in Cranston was uncooperative and insisted he did not commit a crime and told Lo, “I will kill anyone in my cell.” He was later released after pleading no contest to shoplifting with a one-year suspended sentence.

FELONY ASSAULTOfficer Gary Driscoll said he was dispatched to the Warwick Mall around 12:20 p.m. on Nov. 17 for an assault in progress. He said he arrived to find one man being detained on the ground with his hands pinned behind his back. The man on top turned out to be an off-duty West Warwick police officer. Pacing around the area was a man who told him he was in the Target store and saw the man being detained stealing toys. He said he told the man what he was doing was illegal and to put the toys back and the man walked over to a bicycle and grabbed a stick and started beating the witness with the stick until the witness managed to get the stick away from him and detain him until the West Warwick cop took over, took the stick away from the victim and held the suspect until Warwick arrived. Driscoll reported that the suspect appeared to be afflicted with some sort of mental deficiency and it took a while to find someone to identify him. He said he used the suspect’s cell phone and left messages. Miguel A. Rivera, 20, of 73 Hershel St. in Providence was charged with felony assault with a dangerous weapon and misdemeanor shoplifting. His brother later bailed him out.

ANOTHER ASSAULTA Warwick man was charged with assault on Nov. 17 after loss prevention told police the man attempted to leave the store with a perfume tester concealed in his pocket. Loss prevention said they told him why they were detaining him and he pulled the tester out of his pocket and then struck the agent in the chest and struggled with him while he was being handcuffed. He said the man continued to resist. Lo said the suspect told him he was being wrongfully detained, but a look at the video surveillance convinced Lo that the loss prevention people were telling the truth. He said a check of the suspect’s BCI turned up two outstanding bench warrants for failure to appear in two separate District Courts. Jerome Ferreira, 37, of 2065 Elmwood Ave. was charged with simple assault and larceny instead of shoplifting because he was charged with taking a display item that was not actually for sale.

EMBEZZLEMENTA Warwick man was arrested and charged with stealing from the new Nordstrom Rack before the store officially opened in the Warwick Mall. On Nov. 7, a regional loss prevention manager for the store told Officer Timothy Kenyon that the suspect was writing up a statement in her office admitting that he took items from the stock. The manager said an alarm went off when the employee walked out of the store on Oct. 19 and they later found an empty Armani watch box in the men’s room. She said they had video of the employee taking a box of fragrance from the shelf and then go in the back room to remove the sensor tags and put it in his jacket pocket before leaving the store. She told Kenyon he also admitted taking a pair of Armani sunglasses on another occasion. She told Kenyon the merchandise was worth a total of $159.89. Anthony J. Iadevaia Jr., 20, of 141 Hilton Rd. was charged with one count of embezzlement over $100 and told not to come back to the store.

DUI AND REFUSALOfficer Nicholas Reay said he was on patrol around 6:40 p.m. on Nov. 10 when he estimated a car was doing around 50 miles per hour on Warwick Avenue. He said he checked the radar and read 49 miles per hour and he turned his car around to follow. He said he turned his emergency lights on but the car did not stop until he sounded his siren before it turned into Squantum Drive and stopped. He said the driver had a strong odor of alcohol about him and appeared to be intoxicated. He said he also saw a red Solo cup with ice that was spilled on the floor of the car. He said the driver failed the field sobriety test and was taken to headquarters after he registered a .144 on the portable breath tester. He said Thomas C. Cunetta, 37, of 85 Whitford St. in Warwick refused a breath test at headquarters and was charged with DUI, refusal and speeding. He was later released to a sober adult. Officer Randy Francis reported stopping an erratic driver on West Shore Road around 12:45 a.m. on Nov. 9. He said the car had swerved from lane to lane and across the double yellow lines before he pulled it over after using several siren sounds and his emergency lights as it traveled around 20 miles per hour before swerving into the breakdown lane. He said the driver appeared to be drunk and smelled strongly of alcohol as she stared straight ahead. He said the driver failed the field sobriety test and he arrested her on suspicion of drunk driving. He said he searched her purse and found a Mason jar with a green leafy substance that appeared to be marijuana. He said the driver registered a .197 and a .207 blood alcohol content on the breath test and Marlene A. Smith, 57, of 159 Winter Ave. in Warwick was charged with DUI and possession of three grams of marijuana and then taken to Kent Hospital for detox.Officer Hovsep Sarkisian reported he was going through the intersection of Routes 5 and 113 around 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 7 when he was almost hit by another car running a red light. He said he turned his car around and initiated a traffic stop. He said the car did not stop right away and he put his spotlight on it until it pulled over onto Hillard Avenue. He said he saw the driver jump out of the driver’s seat and squeeze into the rear seat. He said another person crawled into the driver’s seat. He said he called backup because of the peculiar behavior and the fact that he couldn’t see the person who was in the back seat. He said he approached with caution and told the male in the back seat to place his hands on the headrest. He said the female in the driver’s seat was crying and said she was not driving and the male “made me get in the seat when you stopped us! I have never been in trouble my entire life officer, I’m sorry!”He said he got the male out of the car and gave him a field sobriety test. He said he smelled of alcohol and appeared to be under the influence. Sarkisian said the male failed the test and was told he was under arrest for suspicion of drunk driving and he spontaneously uttered, “[Expletive]! I’m on probation! [Expletive]! I can’t get in trouble!” Taylor Boisclair, 19, of 10 Medford St. in Warwick was charged with DUI, second offense, refusal, running a red light and driving on a suspended license.